Determining Quality in Academic Libraries

This article summarizes the attempts to define and measure quality and effectiveness in academic libraries, from traditional evaluative studies to Total Quality Management (TQM) and new research on user-defined criteria. Focusing on the organizational analysis of the library as a whole and the contribution it makes to the university or college, the article outlines a number of fundamental concepts and tools common to models of evaluation. Particular attention is then given to assessment in higher education as a whole and ways in which determinants of library quality must be linked to educational outcomes. The concluding sections suggest several areas for future research and for collaboration among library managers, educational administrators, scholars, and measurement theorists.

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